Customer Reviews

A History of Japan: 1615-1867

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Again, it is probably well to point out that Sansom's 3-vol. narrative history of Japan is sometimes confused with several of his other works, and that, for all practical purposes, these three constitute the standard narrative history of Japan of our time. . . Of course, these "other works" are of the same high caliber and well worth our attention: Japan: A Short Cultural History (1931; Revised Edition, 1943); and especially, The Western World and Japan: A Study in the Interaction of European and Asiatic Cultures (1965; 504, xi pp). The author is identified in both books as "G.B. Sansom." [Not a very exciting distinction, to be sure, but online computers sometimes get confused.]

George Sansom (1883-1965) is variously identified on Amazon.com and elsewhere as George Sansom, G. Sansom, George Bailey Sansom, G. B. Sansom, George B. Sansom, and Sir George Sansom (yes, he was knighted in 1935 and again in 1947). The 3-vol. set is signed "George Sansom".

This third volume of the series stops at 1867. Sansom's stated reason for not continuing his history beyond this year is that he had lived too close to events of the Meiji Restoration (1868) for him to develop a perspective that only distance could supply. For readers interested in later events, The Making of Modern Japan (2000; 2002), by Marius B. Jansen, another outstanding scholar of Japanese history, would be a good choice. Since this history begins at 1600, there are overlapping accounts of the Edo period, but from two quite different perspectives.

In short, this set is a good buy and is likely to remain the standard narrative history of Japan for the foreseeable future.

Pretty much every English speaker who studies Japan acquires a copy of Sansom. Consequently, if you are interested in Japan, you probably already have a set. I am giving this collection four stars instead of five simply because its scholarship is now a bit dated and it is not the Cambridge History of Japan. But, who can afford the Cambridge History? I wish I could. In terms of being affordable, this is most likely still the best introduction to Japanese history around in English.

George Sansom follows his previous work with this, "A History of Japan, 1615-1867" which chronicles the rise of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the engrandeurment of Edo (Tokyo) and goes up to the Meiji Restoration (1868). This book is an excellent resource for any college student studying the Japanese culture as well as anyone with even a casual interest in the time period.

Sansom's history is by no means a boring recitation of dates and names. He tells stories, and does so with the expertise of a good writer. Sansom makes history interesting aswell as highly informative and very readable.

It is not essential to read "A History of Japan to 1334" and "A History of Japan, 1334-1615" to understand Sansom's work, however it does help. Sansom never looks back unless he absolutely has to, so the first time reader of his work may be a little confused as to who some of the major characters are, whats going on in Tokugawa's rebellion and some of the groundwork that led to it.

An excellent text on the pre-modern Edo-period of Japanese history, covering the events following the battle of Sekigahara, and the establishment of the Bakufu government in Edo (now Tokyo), up to the opening up of Japan by Commodore Perry, and the Meiji Restoration in 1867.

Excellent book for the serious student of Japanese history, covering salient aspects of everyday life during the period of national isolation, eg. Art and Culture, the Government, the growth of cities etc.

Also recommended for those with an interest in how Japan laid the foundations for becoming a global superpower, and how the Samurai lost their grip on feudal power to the (technically far inferior) mercantile class.

Not as fine as the Cambridge History of Japan, but for those more interested specifically in the Edo period, this is a must-have text, if a little old-fashioned.

After I had finished reading George Sansom's "A History of Japan to 1334" and "A History of Japan: 1334-1615", I was definitely looking forward to reading this book, the final volume of his history series, since 1615-1867 is the time period of Japan's history that I have often been most interested in reading about. This major subjects of the time period covered in this volume include: the rule of the Tokugawa shoguns and the establishment of their government, feudal society (class distinctions and social hierarchy), Japan's exclusion policy (decrees issued in 1633, 1635, and 1639, which caused Japan to become almost entirely isolated from other countries), the persecution of Christians in Japan, the influence of Confucianism on politics and people in Japan, and the arrival of Commodore Perry in 1853.

The only complaint I have about this book is its brief treatment of the cultural aspects of the Genroku period (1688-1704), which is a time frame that many readers are bound to be curious about, since it encompassed the growth of the ukiyo-e art style and the flourishing of literature (such as haiku, with Matuso Basho). G.B. Sansom's "Japan: A Short Cultural History" expands upon the Genroku period in greater detail in one of its chapters, and serves as a good companion to Sansom's "A History of Japan" series in general.

Sansom's third book in his History of Japan series covers the time from Ieyasu's Shogunate to the Meiji revolution, in which the Tokugawa bakufu was overthrown and the emperor restored to power. The timeframe under discussion involves the slow change from a feudal, militarized society to one which was much more mercantile and agrarian in nature. The role of the warrior diminished and that of the merchant and farmer, and thus of the common man, increases.

Perhaps this is why this book loses some of the vigour of its predecessors. Sansom concentrates much more on the changes in the structure of society than on events and personalities. The price of rice, while admittedly a very important factor in political events in Tokugawa Japan, receives so much attention that we are almost lost in the details of production and pricing. Sansom recovers some of his spirit as the tale draws to a close with the opening of Japan by Perry and the increasing encroachment of the West. Sansom's view of how the opening of Japan led to the restoration of the Emperor is quite revealing.

All told, this book, much shorter than the previous two, is definitely also the weakest. It contains, as do the others excellent maps, charts and pictures as well as tables of rice production and the occasional family tree. There is only one appendix, on rural family structure and the bibliography, while annotated, is very brief. I would still recommend buying the whole set but the first two books are much superior to this as reading material. This excellent series ends with a bit of a whimper.

I bought this for my daughter who indicates it is really factual yet easy to read like a novel.

Thank you,

George Sansom gives too much of a bias view against the Tokugawa's and how they served their country. I would wish to find a book on the history of Japan between 1600-1800 that would give an accurate unbiased view.